descriptive
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descriptive
- /dɪˈskɹɪptɪv/ UK
- /dɪˈskɹɪptɪv/ British, Southern, Standard
- /dəˈskɹɪptɪv/ British, Southern, Standard
- /dɪˈskɹɪptɪv/ Canada, US
- /dəˈskɹɪptɪv/ Canada, US
- /diˈskɹɪptɪv/ Canada, US
- /dɪˈskɹɪptɪv/ Australia
- /dəˈskɹɪptɪv/ Australia
- /dəˈskɹəptəv/ New Zealand
Where it comes from
From Latin dēscriptīvus (“containing a full description”).
adjective more descriptive · most descriptive
- Of, relating to, or providing a description.
- Of an adjective, stating an attribute of the associated noun (as heavy in the heavy dictionary).
- Describing the structure, grammar, vocabulary and actual use of a language.
-
Describing and seeking to classify, as opposed to normative or prescriptive.
He draws eclectically on studies of baboons, descriptive anthropological accounts of hunter-gatherer societies and, in a few cases, the fossil record.
Opposite: normative, non-descriptive, prescriptive
noun descriptives
- An adjective (or other descriptive word).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: synchronic, indicative, describe, explanatory, illustrative, abstract, informative, overview, narrative, how-to, meaningful, factual, dictionary, document, description, specification
Translations
Every language
adj of, or relating to description
| Español | descriptivo, descriptorio (disused) |
|---|---|
| Português | descritivo |
| Română | descriptiv |
| Русский | описа́тельный opisátelʹnyj, нагля́дный nagljádnyj |
adj stating an attribute to associated noun
| 日本語 | 限定用法の gentei yōhō no |
|---|---|
| Русский | описа́тельный opisátelʹnyj |
adj describing a language
| Español | descriptivo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 記述的な kijutsuteki na |
| Deutsch | deskriptiv |
| Română | descriptiv |
| Русский | описа́тельный opisátelʹnyj |
Talk about this word "descriptive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/descriptive. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. descriptive. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/descriptive "descriptive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/descriptive.Cite this
@misc{descriptive_2026,
title = {descriptive},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/descriptive},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
